Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Housing and Local Government) Share this | Hansard source

to move:

That the House:

(1)

recognises the service of those Australians who were employed as field constabulary officers (Kiaps) in the Royal Papua and New Guinea Constabulary between 1949 and 1974;

(2)

acknowledges the hazardous and difficult conditions that were experienced by the members serving with the Royal Papua and New Guinea constabulary;

(3)

notes that former members of the Regular Constabulary of the Royal Papua and New Guinea Constabulary may be entitled to long service and good conduct medals, such as the National Medal, subject to meeting eligibility criteria;

(4)

supports moves to allow former members of the Field Constabulary to count their service towards the National Medal;

(5)

notes that qualifying service to meet the eligibility criteria for the National Medal must include at least one day of service on or after the medal’s creation on 14 February 1975;

(6)

expresses concern that many former Kiaps may not meet the eligibility criteria for the National Medal, as eligible Kiap service ceased on 30 November 1973;

(7)

recognises that the Trust Territory of New Guinea, under the terms of the Papua New Guinea Act 1949 and the Trusteeship Agreement for the Territory of New Guinea, held sovereignty unto itself and as such, was at law an international country (and foreign to Australia);

(8)

recognises that the Governor-General’s assent of the Papua New Guinea Act 1949 and the signing of the “Trusteeship Agreement” for New Guinea by the Australian Government, prescribed service activity whereby the service was carried out by members of the Australian Police Force and the service was undertaken as part of an international operation; and

(9)

calls on the Australian Government to change the eligibility criteria applying to the Police Overseas Service Medal so as not to prevent the award of the medal to those:

(a)

Australian public servants who were employed through the Australian Government and served in the Australian administered United Nations Trust Territory of New Guinea between 1949 and 1974; and

(b)

individuals serving in Papua New Guinea as sworn and armed Commissioned Officers of the Royal Papua and New Guinea Constabulary (at the time an Australian External Territorial Police Force).

to move:

That the House:

(1)

notes the impact that the noise generated by aircraft landing at Sydney (Kingsford-Smith) Airport in Sydney has on all residents of surrounding suburbs;

(2)

recognises the importance of the Long Term Operating Plan (LTOP) for Sydney Airport and Associated Airspace as a mechanism to implement a policy of noise sharing;

(3)

acknowledges the Ministerial Direction issued under sub section 16(1) of the Air Services Act 1995 dated 30 July 1997, requiring Airservices Australia to implement the general structure and layout of the flight paths shown within LTOP;

(4)

expresses concern:

(a)

at the failure of Airservices Australia to fully implement the jet flight paths prescribed in the LTOP; and

(b)

with the actions taken by Airservices Australia to develop and utilise new jet flight paths at will, particularly the use of Boree Four Standard Terminal Arrival Route which involves aircraft arrivals using airspace over the electoral divisions of Bradfield, North Sydney, Lowe, Grayndler, Watson, Barton and Cook, particularly during the operation of the airport curfew; and

(5)

calls on the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government to take all necessary steps to direct Airservices Australia to confine jet aircraft arrivals to the jet tracks indicated in the LTOP.

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